CENTENARY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR THE BATTLE OF AMIENS - The Centenary of the Battle of Amiens
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CENTENARY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
THE BATTLE OF AMIENS
The Centenary of the Battle of Amiens
Notre Dame Cathedral, Amiens
8 August 2018
1
THE CENTENARY OF THE BATTLE OF AMIENS
Notre Dame Cathedral, Amiens
8 August 2018
Front cover Men of the 95th Siege Battery RGA loading a 9.2 inch howitzer near Bayencourt during the Battle of Amiens, 8
August 1918 ©Imperial War Museum (Q 10377)
2 1
His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, KG, KT 2 3
1O DOWNING STREET
LONDON SW1A 2AA
Her Majesty’s Government, in partnership with the Governments
of Australia, Canada, France and the United States of America,
welcomes you here today to commemorate the centenary of
one of the most significant battles of the First World War.
Following the success of Allied forces at the Second Battle of the
Marne in the preceding weeks, the Allies adopted a number of
tactics at the Battle of Amiens which continued that success: secrecy
and surprise, the use of targeted air power led by the Royal Air Force,
the phasing of the attack to allow for rest and consolidation and,
perhaps most importantly of all, the co-ordination of Allied troops
working together in coalition. Under Marshal Foch’s overall strategic
command, British, Australian, Canadian, French and American
troops worked together to drive the German army back in a decisive
advance – which would be followed by the Hundred Days Offensive
and would ultimately lead to the signing of the Armistice on the
Western Front.
Today we commemorate that success, but we also reflect on the
fear and hardship experienced by the people of this city and the
surrounding battlefields, as well as the immense suffering and
demoralisation of the German troops. We remember with profound
respect all those who served on both sides of the Battle and we give
thanks for their courage, bravery and skill which would lead to what
The Right Honourable Theresa May MP the world had long yearned for – the guns finally falling silent.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
42 5
THIS COMMEMORATION IS HOSTED BY THE THE EVENT
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE GOVERNMENTS OF AUSTRALIA, CANADA,
FRANCE AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
In the presence of: Welcome by the Bishop of Amiens, Monseigneur Olivier Leborgne
His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cambridge ‘Peace be with you.’ It is with the first words that the resurrected
Jesus spoke to his disciples that the Catholic liturgy usually begins
The representative of the French republic when it is presided over by a bishop. ‘Peace be with you!’ It seems
to me that these words are appropriate while we come together in
The Right Honourable Theresa May MP, Prime Minister of the this cathedral to remember the Battle of Amiens which in 1918 was
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland decisive in leading to victory.
His Excellency, Mr Joachim Gauck, former President of the I am happy to welcome you to this cathedral, a sign of hope in the
Federal Republic of Germany Somme for almost 800 years. I particularly wanted to pay tribute to
the representatives of our allies who, some coming from the other
The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Veterans Affairs and side of the world, were essential in putting an end to the Great War.
Associate Minister of National Defence, Canada Soldiers from Great Britain and Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand,
South Africa and the United States of America came to fight alongside
The Honourable Darren Chester MP, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Defence Personnel the French Army. They sacrificed their lives to allow us to come out
and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of Anzac, Australia of this disastrous conflict. It is important that we are able to honour
them together.
Her Excellency Ms Patricia O’Brien, Ambassador of Ireland to France
I also pay tribute to the representatives of Germany who have joined
Her Excellency Jamie D. McCourt, United States Ambassador to France and Monaco us. It is together that we wish to build the future.
For we have not only gathered together in this cathedral to remember.
Representatives of those nations who served on the Western Front during the
Our presence here, remembering the senselessness that penetrated the
summer of 1918
First World War, is also a resolute commitment to peace. We know that
it can only be built within justice and truth. The sense of remembrance
is always turned towards the future, which calls on our responsibility.
I wish you an excellent commemoration.
6 7
Reading by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cambridge BEFORE THE BATTLE
I am delighted to join you all today to mark this important centenary in
this historic Cathedral of Amiens.
Reading
From the very start of the First World War, Amiens found itself at the heart
of the conflict. For most of the war, it was just behind the Allied front lines, Account of Marguerite Comte, Red Cross Nurse, on the atmosphere in
and military personnel soon became a familiar sight on its streets, around Amiens as 11,000 refugees pass through between 22 and 27 March 1918
its shops, cafés and hotels. For thousands of servicemen, it became a home
away from home. On Saturday 23 March, the anxiety became general. Reading the
communiqués announcing the progressive withdrawal of the British army,
Above all, Amiens was a city of connections. Its railway line was a vital
and the sight of more and more refugees, in a pathetic state, making their
link between Paris and the north. Here, the armies of France and the
way through the town were panicking a fair number of the inhabitants of
British Empire came together. It connected the Allies.
Amiens who were already preparing to depart. Monday 25 March was
During the defence of the city against the great German offensive in a day of fear. Military equipment from the Albert, Bray, Chaulnes and
April 1918, shelling and bombing destroyed many of the buildings here. Montdidier areas flooded into Amiens, either by train or on lorries which
Thankfully, this great cathedral was spared significant damage. were being driven at top speed and increased the terror of the inhabitants
of Amiens even more as they laid siege, literally, to the police stations,
In the summer of 1918, this was the springboard for the Allies’ offensive to get passes. The city’s banks were feverishly preparing for a possible
which would eventually lead to victory on the Western Front. After French, evacuation. There was panic everywhere. On the morning of 26 March
American and British forces had turned the tide against the Germans in the the news on the streets was more and more alarming.
Second Battle of the Marne, the scene was set for a truly co-ordinated
Allied effort to strike back.
What began here on 8 August was truly a coalition operation under the
Reading
strategic command of a great Frenchman, Marshal Foch; a battle in which
the forces of many nations came together to fight; in which aerial, mechanical An account by a Havas correspondent on 22 April 1918
and human courage and ingenuity combined with devastating results.
When I returned to Amiens, which I had seen a fortnight before, I
Amiens was symbolic of the Entente Cordiale, the co-operation without immediately experienced the same fear as I had felt, not long before, when
which victory was impossible. It is entirely fitting therefore, that today, that entering Arras and Armentières. I immediately had a premonition of the
same international coalition has returned to Amiens with our former enemy, disaster that I was going to witness. The electric cables for the trams and
in peace and partnership. the telegraph wires were hanging pathetically across the streets, a shell
It is fitting too that we come together here, in this magnificent Cathedral, had broken a water main which a few valiant men were trying hard to
which has such a profound connection to all those that served. After the plug here and there. Dogs killed by explosions or simply struck down were
war, a commemorative tablet was installed here by the Imperial War Graves bathed in their own blood. The beautiful Promenade de la Hotoie was
Commission, ‘In sacred memory of six hundred thousand men of the armies of riddled with shell holes. Every street, every district had 1, 2 or 3 houses
Great Britain and Ireland who fell in France and Belgium during the Great War.’ indiscriminately ruined by a bomb dropped from an aeroplane or a shell.
Memorial tablets were subsequently installed by other nations to honour their
fallen. And the Chapel of the Allies, where today we will renew the bonds
forged during the War, is a lasting testament to the continuing relationship
between those who served here a hundred years ago and the people of Amiens.
Today we return to learn more about the experience of those involved
during the historic summer of 1918, to honour the fallen of all nations, to
commemorate all those who participated in this great endeavour, and to
celebrate the bonds of friendship which unite our nations.
8 9
Reading by Lieutenant Marc Meissner, German Army Reading by General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander,
Europe
Read in German
Text from General John J. Pershing – in response to the spring offensives –
A letter from Wolfgang Panzer to his parents and siblings on 3 August 1918
addressed to Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, Marshal Foch and and
Marshal Pétain at Foch’s headquarters in Clermont on 28 March 1918
The situation here is more peculiar than anywhere on the front line.
In Artois and in French Flanders, villages even kilometres behind the
I have come to tell you that the American people would consider
first position were nothing but piles of rubble, and it still occasionally
it a great honor for our troops to be engaged in the present battle.
fills me with dread when I look at the map and retrace our steps this
I ask you for this in their name and my own. At this moment there
spring through the scenes of carnage from the Battle of the Somme.
are no other questions but of fighting. Infantry, artillery, aviation,
Everyone in our fatherland should have been there, and then they’d
all that we have are yours; use them as you wish. More will come,
perhaps be better able to judge whether it was a wise move to retreat
in numbers equal to requirements. I have come especially to tell
at the Marne. We look upon the events without surprise and without
you that the American people will be proud to take part in the
the slightest fears, and I thank my creator for giving us leaders who
greatest battle of history.
have the courage and the sense of responsibility to confidently
surrender what could only be retained through senseless bloodshed
and for no purpose at all. So, we’re remarkably untarnished, while
the enemy, in a blind fury, drives one division after another to their
Reading by Major General Gavan Reynolds AM, Australian Military
destruction. Everything will turn out for the best. That’s all for today.
Representative to NATO and the EU
Your loving Wolf.
General Sir John Monash’s message to the troops the day before battle
For the first time in the history of our Corps, all five Australian Divisions
Music Advance and Retreat from Gallimaufry will to-morrow engage in the largest and most important battle operation
Performed by an international military band led by the Central Band ever undertaken by the Corps. Because of the completeness of our
of the Royal Air Force plans and dispositions, of the magnitude of the operations, of the
Composed by Guy Woolfenden number of troops employed, and of the depth to which we intend
to over-run the enemy’s positions, this battle will be one of the most
memorable of the whole war. The work to be done to-morrow will
perhaps make heavy demands upon the endurance and the staying
Reading powers of many of you; but I am confident that, in spite of excitement,
fatigue, and physical strain, every man will carry on to the utmost
Marshal Foch, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies, to
of his powers until his goal is won; for the sake of AUSTRALIA, the
General Debeney and delivered by Colonel Desticker to
empire and our cause.
General Debeney on the morning of 9 August 1918
It is well understood that the French 1st Army must reach Roye as early
as possible, and reinforce the IIIrd.
When the result has been obtained, the situation itself will indicate what
is to be done: halt or move forward again.
It is precisely because one cannot settle it today that no option must be
ruled out. With this aim, never must any Infantry Division be sent to the
rear. Those which can no longer advance are to be bypassed, pass to
the second line, and provide support until the result desired by higher
command is obtained.
Therefore: Move quickly, march hard, manoeuvring as you advance:
support from behind with everybody until the result is obtained. If these
conditions are fulfilled, losses will be avoided in a few days.
10 11Reading by Brigadier-General Gregory Smith, Canadian Commander THE BATTLE
Formation Europe, Canadian Military Representative to SHAPE
Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie in a special order to the
Canadian Corps in March 1917 [re-stated during the 1918
Reading
German spring offensives]
Extract from the memoirs of Alphonse Thuillier, “A veteran of the
Under the orders of your devoted officers in the coming battle you 94th Infantry Regiment”. Second-in-command of 10 Company
will advance or fall where you stand facing the enemy. To those
who will fall I say you will not die, but step into immortality. Your The attack on 8 August, at first light, was launched on an 80 kilometre
mothers will not lament your fate, but will be proud to have borne front. We had British forces in the form of Canadian troops on our left.
such sons. Your name will be revered forever and ever by your
grateful country, and God will take you unto Himself. When the artillery barrage started, the sky became completely red in
a moment. We started the attack as day was breaking.
A German machine gun positioned on top of the ravine on our side,
that is to say opposite us, began spraying us with bursts of fire. We had
Reading by General Sir Nicholas Carter, CBE DSO ADC Gen, to go to ground and crawl to shell holes to take cover, and try to get
Chief of the Defence Staff round it. The machine gunner with me fired a burst at the German
Extract from Field Marshal Haig’s diary – 7 August 1918 machine gunner, while I was aiming at the officer who was there. He
immediately put his hands up, and remembering the slaughter from
At 2.45 pm I left for Fléxicourt [sic], where I had a talk with the previous year at Verdun, I changed the aim of the muzzle of my
General Rawlinson. rifle and shot him in the head. As the machine gun was no longer firing,
all the riflemen in the flat open country could approach safely to take
Everything is going on without a hitch and the Enemy seems the ravine where a battery of German heavy artillery was located. The
in ignorance of the impending blow! I then went on to HQ German gunners, who had gone into dugouts during the shelling by
Canadian Corps at Dury and saw General Currie commanding our artillery, were taken prisoner. Special grenades were placed in the
the Corps. The latter said it had been a hustle to be ready in time, muzzles of the guns to damage them severely and prevent them being
but everything had been got in except 2 long-range guns. The used again in case of an enemy counterattack and us being forced to
platforms were ready for them and they would be got in by withdraw. We had advanced about ten kilometres.
tonight. Last night was our most critical moment. If the Germans
had bombarded the Canadian zone, we could not have During our daytime advance we saw the bodies of French soldiers
retaliated last night. who had been killed during the German advance in March and who
had remained on the ground where they had fallen.
Tonight the situation is quite different and we are ready!
The death toll for the attack on 8 August 1918 was one dead, one
too many alas, the section’s machine gunner, but there were a lot
of wounded.
Music Over There
Performed by The National Youth Choir of Great Britain and an
international military band led by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force
Composed by George M. Cohan
12 13Reading by Second Lieutenant Collette Broome, Royal Artillery Reading by Captain Yves Germain, Royal Canadian Navy
Major General A. A. Montgomery, British commander of the Extract from the war diary of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas-Louis Tremblay,
Fourth Army (XIII Corps), from “The Story of the Fourth Army Commander of the 22nd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force
in the Battles of the Hundred Days” (published 1919). On the
Americans at Amiens from the 9 August attack on Gressaire Wood Last night was quiet; the enemy doesn’t seem to suspect that a terrible
attack is imminent. Thousands and thousands of men have been
… the Americans swept everything before them, and the German concentrated into our front lines and formidable tools of war are at the
resistance collapsed. So precipitate was the retreat of the enemy ready, awaiting the signal to unleash a terrifying campaign of bombardment
that a German battalion commander fled from his dug-out, abandoning against the enemy. Finally at 4:20 this morning, the storm surged with
his orders, maps, and telephone switchboard. The Americans were incredible violence and under cover of this steel sheet blowing everything
so impetuous that they outstripped the British on the left, and it was up in the enemy trenches, our infantry advanced, supported by tanks.
due to them that the objective was so quickly and rapidly gained on
the front of the 58th Division. Over the course of the day, we took considerable implements of war,
cannons, hundreds of machine guns; prisoners were taken in the
thousands. The French attack was also a great success. In fact, it is the
best day the Allies have had since the beginning of the war. The enemy
Reading by Major Ryan Pearce, Royal Australian Armoured Corps was clearly beaten today and our confidence in our final success has
been bolstered. Our losses total 40 men.
Private Southey, Australian Corps from “Forgotten Voices Of The
Great War” by Max Arthur and Imperial War Museums published
by Ebury Press
Reading by Major Mike Fielder, Royal Tank Regiment, British Army
The morning of 8th August started very foggy indeed, and as our
barrage opened, a tremendous barrage, we were wondering how Tank Commander Wilfred Bion on 8 August 1918 from “The Day We
we were going to get on. But, forward we pushed, and met Won the War” by Charles Messenger
comparatively slight opposition. Some Germans surrendered quickly,
others fought to the end. As we pushed on wondering where we At 9.50pm Handley Page bombers were due to start flying along the
were, the sun broke through and we began to see the countryside front; the noise of their engines was supposed to cloak the roar of the
that we hadn’t seen for quite a time. It was unscarred, all sorts of tank engines so the enemy would not become suspicious. Soon we heard
cultivated land, and we began to feel, ‘By Jove, the war’s coming the characteristic pulsating tone. Just then from two miles away we heard
to an end. We’re getting through.’ And we had a feeling of great the roar of the first tank engine starting up. The tanks, after the first one,
uplift about the whole job. helped to screen each other. As each engine started, the driver throttled
down to slow speed so that the roar became a diffuse murmur, and the
Reproduced by permission of The Random House Group Ltd. ©2002
murmur became an undifferentiated noise like traffic on the roads; it
was just possible to believe that the enemy would be deceived.
14 15Reading by Lieutenant Commander Kai Schönfeld, German Navy REMEMBRANCE
Extract from the post-war memoirs of Paul von Hindenburg,
German Army Chief of Staff on the Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918
On the morning of August 8th our comparative peace was abruptly Please stand
interrupted. In the southwest the noise of battle could clearly be
heard. The first reports, which came from Army Headquarters in the
neighbourhood of Péronne, were serious. The enemy, employing large
squadrons of tanks, had broken into our lines on both sides of the Wreaths will be laid at the memorial tablets by young people
Amiens-St. Quentin road. Further details could not be given.
The veil of uncertainty was lifted during the next few hours, though
our telephone lines had been broken in many places. There was no
Music Evening Hymn, Last Post and Sunset
doubt that the enemy had penetrated deeply into our positions and
Performed by an international military band led by the Central Band of the
that batteries had been lost.
Royal Air Force and The National Youth Choir of Great Britain
On this August 8th we had to act as we had so often acted in equally Arrangement by Wing Commander Barrie Hingley
menacing situations. Initial successes of the enemy were no new
experience for us. We had seen them in 1916 and 1917, at Verdun,
Arras, Wytschaete and Cambrai. We had only quite recently experienced
and mastered another at Soissons. But in the present case the situation Reading by Cadet PO1 Jenna McKay, Royal Canadian Sea Cadet
was particularly serious. The great tank attack of the enemy had Commitment to Remember
penetrated to a surprising depth. The tanks, which were faster than
hitherto, had surprised Divisional Staff in their headquarters and torn They were young, as we are young,
up the telephone lines which communicated with the battle front. They served, giving freely of themselves.
I had no illusions about the political effects of our defeat on August 8th. To them, we pledge, amid the winds of time,
Our battles from July 15th to August 4th could be regarded, both abroad To carry their torch and never forget.
and at home, as the consequence of an unsuccessful but bold stroke, We will remember them.
such as may happen in any war.
On the other hand, the failure of August 8th was revealed to all eyes
as the consequences of an open weakness. To fail in an attack was Reading by Cadet Sergeant Heidi Kelly, Royal Canadian Air Cadet
a very different matter from being vanquished on the defence. The
Commitment to Remember
amount of booty which our enemy could publish to the world spoke
a clear language.
They were young, as we are young,
Both the public at home and our Allies could only listen in great They served, giving freely of themselves.
anxiety. All the more urgent was it that we should keep our presence To them, we pledge, amid the winds of time,
of mind and face the situation without illusions, but also without To carry their torch and never forget.
exaggerated pessimism. We will remember them.
16 17Reading by Sergeant Quentin Davis, Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Reading by Sydnee Thorne, the Duke of York Royal Military School, Dover
U.S. Army
For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
Quote from George S. Patton
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
Rather we should thank God such men lived. At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Reading by Australian Defence Force Cadet
These Fellowing Men by Dame Mary Gilmore One Minute Silence
They are not dead; not even broken;
Only their dust has gone back home to the earth:
For they—the essential they—shall have re-birth Music Hymn to the Fallen
Whenever a word of them is spoken. Performed by The National Youth Choir of Great Britain and an
international military band led by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force
Composed by John Williams
Reading
Hymne (first strophe), from “Les Chants du crépuscule” Please be seated
by Victor Hugo (1835)
Those who have died in honour for the nation,
And now lie quiet at rest beneath the pall,
Merit the presence and the prayers of all
Who come to stand in silent contemplation.
Their name is fairer than the fairest name.
The glory of the world cannot outlast their fame;
And, as their mothers bore them in the womb,
A nation’s voice will rock them in their tomb.
18 19AFTER THE BATTLE Reading by His Excellency, Mr Joachim Gauck, former President of
the Federal Republic of Germany
After a Bad Dream by Gerrit Engelke, 1918
Reading by Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hone, Canadian Armed Forces Read in German
Canon Frederick George Scott CMG DSO, Senior Chaplain – I am a soldier and stand in the field
First Canadian Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force, from his And know of no-one in the world.
book, “The Great War As I Saw It” Thus I cannot celebrate this rainy day,
So tenderly concerned, damp and leaden
Here and there I met wounded men walking back, and many Since at night your image broke my sleep
German prisoners. In the fields in different directions I could see And brought me near to you.
rifles stuck, bayonet downwards, in the ground, which showed that
there lay wounded men. I found that these were chiefly Germans, I am a soldier and stand in the field,
and all of them had received hideous wounds and were clamouring Gun on the arm and far from the world.
for water. Poor men, I was sorry for them, for I knew it would be Were I at home, I would close door and window
long before they could be carried out or receive medical attention, And remain alone for a long time,
owing to the rapidity of our advance. I made my way to each in turn Sink into the sofa’s corner,
and gave him a drink from some of the water bottles which I carried With closed eyes, think of you.
round my belt. I think all the Germans I saw that morning were I am a soldier and stand in the field.
dying, having been wounded in the stomach. After attending, as far Here the old human world ends.
as it was possible, to their bodily needs, I endeavoured to minister The rain sings, the wet skeins flow.
to their spiritual. As they happened to be Roman Catholics, I took I can do nothing – only shoot lead.
off the crucifix which I wore round my neck and gave it to them. Don’t know why, I still do it, as if I must
They would put up their trembling hands and clasp it lovingly, and
Into the grey weather a shot cracks!
kiss it, while I began the Lord’s Prayer in German. This happened
many times that day. One man who had a hideous wound in the
abdomen was most grateful, and when he handed me back the
crucifix he took my hand and kissed it. It was strange to think that
Reading by Lieutenant Delphine Astier, Royal Australian
an hour before, had we met, we should have been deadly enemies.
Corps of Transport
Quote from LT Harold Williams, 5th Division Australian Imperial Force,
wounded in the Battle of Péronne and evacuated to a casualty clearing
station at Daours
That these women worked their long hours among such surroundings
without collapsing spoke volumes for their will-power and sense of
duty. The place reeked with the odours of blood, anti-septic dressings,
and unwashed bodies. The nurses saw the war stripped of even the
excitement of an attack. They saw soldiers in their most pitiful state –
wounded, blood-stained, dirty, reeking of blood and filth. The strain
was such that it was almost incredible that a woman could stand it
and retain her sanity.
20 21Reading by Captain Maxime Fournier Canadian Armed Forces Reading by the Mayor of Amiens, Brigitte Fouré
Letter from Frank Cousins, Canadian soldier, to his mother on Extract from the diary of Herménégilde Duchaussoy, Mayor of Amiens
12 November 1918 1916 – 1919
My Dear Mother: Thursday 8 August: 8 August will remain famous in history as the start
of a battle which will last three months, first of all freeing Amiens,
The remarkable and long-looked for day has at last arrived and the showing the attrition of the German armies and finally giving us victory.
happenings of the past week are beyond my power of description.
How much has happened since on the morning of August 8th we The communiqué of 10 August becomes, for all the inhabitants of Amiens
were awakened out of our doze in that motor lorry as the big guns who have fled, “the finest serial to be continued”. Our troops have
belched forth the first rounds of the barrage for the Amiens affairs. captured Pierrepont. During the day, after taking Davenescourt, we
How little we thought that in less than four months the victory attacked south of Montdidier, then set about Faverolles. I had tears in my
would be won. It is hard to realize that it is all over and for me over eyes as I read the communiqué, it is victory and moreover the liberation
here the truth will not be fully appreciated until we reach home. of Amiens, so one is going to be able to return. We will no longer be
But war is no more – in our time at least and we can once more refugees! For me, there is no home left, our house being uninhabitable.
“move and live and have our being” – in short be human. We will have to look for somewhere else to put up the family.
12 August: The officer from the Forestry Department and his interpreter
want to take me to Amiens. I have seen Commander Quirot from the
Reading by Sergeant First Class Kennerly Pence, Infantry Brigade Paris fire brigade and Sub-prefect Pignet who is no longer concerned
Combat Team, U.S. Army with evacuation. During the day King George, coming from the front,
visited the cathedral and decorated the Prefect and the Army Commander.
Major General George Bell of the U.S. Army to Lieutenant General In Flixecourt he offered tea, notably to Marshal Foch. The city is really
R. H. K. Butler of the British Army, 11 August 1918 sad. In spite of what I have seen already, I am always badly upset by our
shell-damaged buildings and our houses which are in ruins or burnt down.
The Division is proud to have participated in this historic battle
with the gallant British troops under your command. Permit me 13 August: At 10.15, stand-to and gunfire: bursts of shrapnel. Amiens is
to send you the most hearty congratulations on the brilliant work empty. The shops have nothing to sell and the factories have no looms
of your forces and to express the confident hope of further and or raw materials, or coal. Obviously the population can only be called
combined victories for our combined arms. upon to reoccupy Amiens after a complete and permanent organisation
of food supply and the material means of housing.
22 23Reading by The Right Honourable Theresa May MP, Prime Minister Music National Anthems
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland All, led by The National Youth Choir of Great Britain
Extract from the War Memoirs of David Lloyd George, 1918
The fact of the matter was that the British Army itself did not realise The National Anthem of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
the extent and effect of the triumph they had won that day. They and Northern Ireland
were thinking in the terms of past offensives when a gain of a few
kilometres in an attack was as much as they could hope to accomplish, God save our gracious Queen!
and experience had taught them the dangers of advancing too far Long live our noble Queen!
because the Germans invariably rallied, brought up their reserves God save the Queen!
and counterattacked with verve and skill. They had not yet understood Send her victorious,
that they were confronted to-day with an enemy who had lost much Happy and glorious,
of his dash and combative strength. Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.
The reports of the battle received by the Cabinet from the front
showed how little even the victors understood the immense effect
of the triumph they had won. The actual ground captured was not
extensive. The effect of the victory was moral and not territorial. It
The National Anthem of the Republic of France
revealed to friend and foe alike the breakdown of the German power
of resistance. More finally even than by the French counter-offensive
Allons enfants de la Patrie,
of July 18th were the Germans driven by the British stroke of
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
August 8th to realise that all hope of victory had passed.
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
After the July defeat, whilst they came to the conclusion that their L’étendard sanglant est levé,
offensive had finally failed they still hoped to reorganise their army L’étendard sanglant est levé,
effectively for an impenetrable defence. After the Amiens battle Entendez-vous dans nos campagnes
even this seemed impossible. Ludendorff admits: – “The 8th August Mugir ces féroces soldats?
demonstrated the collapse of our fighting strength, and in the light Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
of our recruiting situation it took from me any hope of discovering Égorger nos fils , nos compagnes!
some strategic measure which would reestablish the position in
Aux armes, citoyens,
our favour. An end must be put to the War.”
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons!
Qu’un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons!
Please stand
Please be seated
24 25REAFFIRMATION OF FRIENDSHIP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Head of State and Head of Government representatives will lay flowers The Central Band of the Royal Air Force
in the Chapel of the Allies as a symbol of friendship between the Allies, Director of Music: Flight Lieutenant Christopher I’Anson BMus (Hons)
Germany and the city of Amiens. LRSM LTCL LLCM RAF
Drum Major: Chief Technician P. Phelan BMus (Hons) LLCM
Music De Profundis (Psalm 130) Gregorian plainchant
Performed by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain National Youth Choir of Great Britain
Artistic Director: Ben Parry
Please remain seated
International trumpeters:
Corporal Timothy Hynd, Central Band of the Royal Air Force
Corporal Matthew Creek, Australian Army Band Corps
Concluding music Corporal Davide De Silva, Governor General’s Foot Guard, Canada
Brigg Fair (Traditional English arr. Percy Grainger)
Calme des nuits (Camille Saint-Saëns)
Seig sind die Toten (Heinrich Schütz)
Ubi Caritas (Maurice Duruflé) Recorded music in the Cathedral before the event composed
Viel freuden mit sich bringet (Traditional German arr. Ben Parry) by Jacques de la Presle:
Performed by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain Le Jardin mouillé
Chanson de la rose , La branche d’acacia, Heureux ceux qui sont morts
O morts (texte de Dorin)
Petite berc
Music Benedictus from Mass of St Thomas Aquinas Suite en sol euse
Performed by The National Youth Choir of Great Britain and an international Guitaire
military band led by the Royal Air Force Central Band
Composed by Martin Ellerby
Born on 5 July 1888 in Versailles, Jacques Guillaume de Sauville de la Presle
studied music at the Conservatoire de Versailles, and then at the Conservatoire
de musique et de déclamation de Paris. He left for the front at the start of the
Please remain seated until the Head of State and Head of Government War as a stretcher-bearer for the 119e Régiment d’Infanterie. He had several
representatives have departed when you will be invited to leave the spells of duty at Verdun. He was serving in the Amiens area when he was
Cathedral by ushers badly gassed, on 15 August 1918. He then spent seven months in hospital,
hovering between life and death. On returning to civilian life he took up
his musical studies again and had a career as a composer and professor of
harmony at the Conservatoire de Paris, before dying in Paris on 6 May 1969.
26 27The United Kingdom Guard of Honour is provided by the 1st Battalion German Flag party
Royal Anglian Regiment, “The Vikings” Flag bearer: Staff Sergeant Alain Alexander Beaujeant, German Air Force
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Philip Moxey MBE, Regimental Escort: Captain Moritz Jost, German Army
Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class 1 C.J. Holmes. Escort: Lieutenant Jens Christoph Pirzkall, German Army
Guard of Honour: Commander Major Drew Reed, Guard of Honour CSM
Warrant Officer Class 2 G. George
U.S. Flag Bearers
Sergeant Tyler Cheshire, Armoured Brigade Combat Team
U.K. Flag Bearer Contingent Sergeant Ian Ramey, Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Provided by European Joint Support Unit, SHAPE.
Warrant Officer Class 2 (RQMS) Bruce McAulay, Royal Regiment of Artillery
Staff Sergeant Scott Rainsley, Royal Logistic Corp
Sergeant Richard Mitchell, RAF Regiment University College London Institute of Education, who have delivered a
Corporal David Archer, RAF Regiment programme for young people from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, U.K.
Corporal Stephen Hall, The Royal Irish Regiment and U.S.A. as part of the Centenary of the Battle of Amiens commemorations.
Australian Flag Party National Citizen Service graduates who have supported the delivery
Ensign: Captain Isaac Williams, Royal Australian Engineers of this commemorative event.
Escort: Sergeant Tyrone Tynan, Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Escort: Corporal Samantha Mackie, Royal Australian Corps of Military Police
Stepliners:
Warrant Officer Class One Nathan Holdforth, Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
Corporal Brad Devlin, Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
Canadian Flag Party
Sergeant Jean Paul Cloutier, Canadian Armed Forces
Corporal Tyrell Burge, Canadian Armed Forces
Corporal Justin Lewis, Canadian Armed Forces
Stepliners:
Sergeant Eric Belley, Canadian Military Police
Sergeant Martine Leboeuf, Canadian Armed Forces
Corporal Maxime Savoie-Chenard, Canadian Armed Forces
28 29SPRING 1918: ‘TO THE LAST MAN’
By early 1918, years of war had taken Fère. Around 4.40am, the quiet was
a toll on all the belligerent nations. shattered by the roar of a vast artillery
A major Allied offensive at Ypres in bombardment, as thousands of German
late 1917 had failed to achieve its guns suddenly opened fire. For five
ambitious goals, and resulted in heavy hours, high-explosive and gas-shells
casualties for British Empire troops. wreaked havoc on British command
America had joined their cause, but it and communication centres, and heavy
would take time before its manpower gun positions far behind the front, before
could be mobilised. In October, Italy the fire switched to the beleaguered
had been rocked by disastrous defeat garrisons of the British forward defences.
at Caporetto, and on the Eastern
Front, the Russian armies were fatally At 9.40am, German infantry attacked, led
undermined by the upheaval of by elite storm troops. Hidden from British
political revolution. machine-guns by fog and smoke, they
quickly overran the shocked troops in the
Germany, meanwhile, began to transfer front lines and pressed on, picking their
troops from the Eastern Front to the way round centres of resistance, always
Western Front. After the failure of their striving to move forward. From the south
unrestricted submarine campaign, of Fifth Army’s front came alarming
German leaders sought to seize the reports of serious German breakthroughs.
initiative before the arrival of large The position worsened in the afternoon,
numbers of American troops, which and it became clear that the British had
would likely be fatal to German hopes suffered severe losses. Fifth Army was
of a favourable end to hostilities. In ordered to make a limited withdrawal
The German late January 1918, the German High during the night.
Spring Offensive Command decided to attack north and
1918: German
stormtroopers
south of St Quentin (Aisne). Here, east of German progress was slower elsewhere,
advancing through the old Somme battlefields, the British- particularly in the north. With French
clouds of smoke held defences were weak. By mid-March, divisions sent to support the British, a
towards enemy
positions ©Imperial the Germans were ready to launch the German assault at Arras was repelled.
War Museum Kaiserschlacht – the ‘Kaiser’s Battle’. German commanders redirected their
(Q 47997) offensive towards the vital rail hub
French and ‘OPERATION MICHAEL’: of Amiens.
American officers THE SOMME, 21 MARCH –
cutting barbed wire
in preparation for
5 APRIL 1918 With German armies less than 25km
a patrol to move By the early hours of Thursday 21 March from Paris, French and British political
at Badonviller, 1918, a thick mist had settled over much and military leaders met at Doullens on
17 March 1918
©Imperial War of the 80 km front occupied by British 26 March. Among the attendees were
Museum (Q 70258) Fifth and Third Armies from Arras to La Georges Clemenceau, Prime Minister of
30 31and British leaders agreed, and Foch German progress by 14 April convinced
would be named Supreme Commander, British command to shorten the line and
or Generalissimo, of the Allied armies. relinquish the gains of the previous year’s
fighting around Passchendaele. Ferocious
It would prove a decisive appointment, assaults wrested Mount Kemmel from
since mutual support was proving critical the French on 25 April, but this proved
in holding back the German onslaught. the last significant German success and
Although the ‘Michael’ offensive was ‘Georgette’ was soon called off.
unprecedented in scale, in ground gained,
casualties incurred, prisoners taken, guns THE DEFENCE OF AMIENS:
lost and stores abandoned, it did not THE ACTIONS AT VILLERS-
achieve a breakthrough. Over 16 days of BRETONNEUX, 24 – 25 APRIL 1918
intense fighting, Allied forces rallied and While fighting continued in Flanders,
reformed, allowing reserves to gradually the strategic prize of Amiens, far to the
arrive and stem the tide. south in Picardy, proved irresistible to
German commander Erich Ludendorff,
OPERATION ‘GEORGETTE’: who decided to launch a renewed attack
FLANDERS, 9 – 29 APRIL 1918 on its outermost eastern defences, at
On 9 April, the German armies launched Villers-Bretonneux. His aim was to
a second major offensive, this time in secure the town and the surrounding
Flanders. Though smaller in scale than high ground, from where artillery could
‘Michael’, it also achieved early success systematically destroy Amiens and
and generated a far greater sense of render it useless to the Allies.
military and political crisis than the fighting
on the Somme. In 21 days of intense and In dense fog early on the morning of
sometimes bewilderingly complex fighting, 24 April, an intense bombardment
a series of German attacks targeted weak smashed down on Villers-Bretonneux’s
spots in the line, particularly to the south defences before German infantry,
of Ypres, where Portuguese forces suffered supported by tanks, overran the Allied
terrible losses. German troops advanced positions. That evening, a surprise counter-
towards the railway centre of Hazebrouck attack began in moonlight. Spearheading
and around the symbolic city of Ypres, the operation were the 13th and 15th
threatening to cut off British and Belgian Australian Brigades, supported by the
forces to the north. British 54th Brigade. In darkness and
confusion, the Australian infantry broke
On 11 April, after Messines Ridge had the German lines and, by early morning
been abandoned and with German on 25 April, had effectively recaptured
Infantry of the France, and Lord Milner, British Secretary Minister Lloyd George, Clemenceau infantry within eight km of Hazebrouck, the town. German progress towards
French 22nd
of State for War; Phillipe Pétain and stated that ‘Un pouvoir de direction Douglas Haig issued a special Order of Amiens had been stopped for good.
Division and British
20th Division Douglas Haig, respective Commanders- suprême me paraît indispensable à the Day, exhorting his troops to: ‘fight it
man a line of in-Chief; and Chief of the Imperial l’achèvment du succès’. He proposed out. Every position must be held to the THE DEFEAT OF THE
newly scraped
rifle pits covering
General Staff, Henry Wilson, and his that Foch should now oversee ‘the last man: there must be no retirement. GERMAN OFFENSIVES
a road near Nesle, French counterpart Ferdinand Foch. strategic direction of operations’, With our backs to the wall and believing In the six weeks between 21 March
25 March 1918 It was agreed that more effective co- although military commanders would in the justice of our cause each one of and the end of April, British Empire
©Imperial War
Museum (Q 10810) operation was now imperative. Foch was retain control over the tactics and us must fight on to the end.’ casualties were estimated at 240,000
ordered to co-ordinate the Allied armies. conduct of their respective national (wounded, killed or captured) and
forces, as well as staff work for preparing Driven back but not broken, the French around 92,000. But German
At a further meeting at Beauvais on and executing battle plans. Despite exhausted Allied defenders were gradually casualties amounted to near 348,000.
3 April, attended by British Prime some reservations, both the American shored-up by reserves, but not before Despite these losses, and the exhausting
32 33failures to break the Allies, the German protected the advance, while some
Army still remained a potent force. 470 tanks went into action and French
Ludendorff sanctioned a series of and British aircraft seized control of
diversionary attacks between late May the air. German forces were driven
and mid-July, targeting French, American back to their previous lines between
and British forces in the south, intending Reims and Soissons, beyond the
to draw Allied reserves far away from Marne river. A pocket of resistance at
the Flanders front where he hoped to Château-Thierry was eliminated on
launch another major campaign. 3 August, and Allied forces cleared the
road between Paris and Strasbourg.
The first attack on 27 May along the Suffering from inadequate rations
Chemin des Dames was codenamed and a growing influenza crisis, German
‘Blücher’. By the end of the day, German forces were unable to resist, and the
forces had crossed the Aisne and Allies took 35,000 prisoners. On
advanced over 17 km, reaching the 6 August, Foch was bestowed with the
Marne two days later, only around title Maréchal de France. The Second
80 km from Paris. But French and Battle of the Marne was a turning point:
American forces eventually held back after surviving the spring, it was time
the advance, leaving the Germans in a for the Allies to attack.
deep and vulnerable salient.
PLANNING FOR THE OFFENSIVE
Another German attack on 9 June, On 24 July, while fighting continued
codenamed ‘Operation Gneisenau’, in the Second Battle of the Marne,
attempted to improve this precarious Foch met with the commanders of the
position and draw in even more French British, American and French forces
reserves. Attacking towards the River – Douglas Haig, John J. Pershing and
Matz, the Germans achieved another Phillipe Pétain – at the Chateau de
unexpected success, gaining nearly Bombon, south-east of Paris. He outlined
10 km on the first day. But French a plan for the Allies to take the offensive,
resistance hardened and a counter-attack after months of defensive actions. This
on 11 June, in which tanks and aircraft would be a co-ordinated effort and,
were employed to great effect, brought crucially, would be a sequence of major
the German advance to a halt. Beginning attacks, a ‘series of movements’: powerful,
on 15 July, the next German assault surprise assaults across the Western Front
was pre-empted by French intelligence. punctuated only by short pauses, intended
Although German troops were able to to land a ‘succession of blows’ which
cross the Marne on both sides of Reims, would overwhelm German forces. The
they made little progress. primary objectives were to secure three
railways which were vital to the Allies:
THE SECOND BATTLE OF the Paris-Avricourt line in the Marne
THE MARNE area, the same line in the Verdun area,
On 18 July, the Allies launched a surprise near Saint-Mihiel, and the Paris-Amiens
counter-attack, beginning what became railway, which would be secured by an
known as the Second Battle of the Allied attack at Amiens.
Marne. Along a 55 km front, the French
American soldiers
passing through Tenth and Sixth Armies, supported by The terrain to the east of Amiens was
St. Martin-au-Laërt, American, British and Italian units, promising: open and rolling, with hard
8 July 1918
©Imperial War
attacked German lines around the soil which would make tanks more
Museum (Q 46445) Marne salient. A ‘rolling barrage’ effective and, perhaps most importantly,
34 35limited German defences. Amiens November, they would form the single LE HAMEL bayonets...but on the contrary,
itself was close to the frontline, and biggest army on the Western Front. On the evening of 3 July, troops of to advance under the maximum
civilians had been evacuated by the the 4th Australian Division, along possible protection of the
French authorities. It had sustained Despite having suffered terribly in with four companies of American maximum possible array of
some damage from German artillery, the German offensives of March and infantry, prepared for a surprise attack mechanical resources, in the
including the ancient cathedral, but April, British Empire forces were on German lines around the village form of guns, machine-guns,
had largely escaped serious destruction. reorganised and replenished in both of Hamel, near Villers-Bretonneux. tanks, mortars and aeroplanes;
The presence of vital railway lines troops and equipment. By 1918, the In a comprehensively planned and to advance with as little
gave Amiens its strategic importance, British Army had become an immense limited operation, intended to improve impediment as possible; to
and it was here that the British and and complex multi-national organisation, the Allied defensive lines and gain be relieved as far as possible
French lines met. As at the Somme in comprising five ‘armies’ with over observation along the Somme valley, of the obligation to fight their
1916, the Battle of Amiens was to be sixty fighting divisions – of which five little had been left to chance. Special way forward...”
a joint operation. were Australian, four Canadian, one training and precise orders were
New Zealand and two American. given to the infantry, tanks, aircraft
THE ARMIES OF 1918 By August 1918, it numbered some and artillery, which would all be
The Second Battle of the Marne had 2,400,000 men. Australian and Canadian working together.
proved a turning point: boosting Allied units, despite being under strength
morale after months of defensive action, and lacking reinforcements, were often At 3.10am on 4 July, infantry and
and provoking a crisis of confidence experienced and battle-hardened. tanks advanced behind the cover
among German commanders. By the Many of the replacements arriving of a devastating creeping barrage.
summer of 1918, the balance of forces at the front from the United Kingdom Heavily defended German positions
on the Western Front was no longer in were conscripts. Some were very were dealt with by special detachments,
their favour. German troop numbers young – eighteen or nineteen years while the remaining attackers pressed
peaked in June 1918 at just over 1.6 old – and most were inexperienced. on to their objectives, and in around
million, but afterwards casualties they ninety minutes they had gained their
could not replace meant a steady By this time, training programmes objectives at a cost of around 1,000
decline. Foch recognised the Allies’ had become more complex and Australian and American casualties.
morale and material advantages, but responsive. As early as 5 April during German losses were considerable,
also that more effective co-ordination the first phase of the German offensive, and over 1,000 German soldiers were
was needed to make this advantage soldiers were issued with ‘Notes on taken prisoner. It was a sign of things
count: for the Amiens attack, the Recent Fighting’, analysing the lessons to come on a larger scale in the
French 1st Army would join the of 21-22 March. Decisions were Allied offensive which would begin
British Fourth Army. increasingly delegated, allowing for at Amiens the following month.
more initiative and innovation. Accurate
By this time, hundreds of thousands and controlled ‘creeping’ barrages Many of the lessons of previous
of American soldiers were arriving protected the infantry, who were now offensives had been learned: the
every month. The capture of Cantigny, trained to fight in small units, armed element of surprise could be critical,
near Montdidier, by the US 1st Division with light machine guns, mortars and mobility and flexibility were paramount,
on 28 May had demonstrated that rifle grenades. They would be supported and success could only be achieved
American infantry were capable of by armoured vehicles, including the through effective co-operation between
overcoming battle-hardened German ‘Whippet’ and recently-introduced all arms of the military. Lieutenant-
troops. Both the increasing numbers Mark V tanks, and sometimes aircraft. General Sir John Monash, Commander
and potential impact of American This all relied on an immense industrial of the Australian Corps, would state that:
forces profoundly influenced strategic effort: supplies of weapons, ammunition
thinking on both sides. On 1 May and equipment from British and “...the true role of the infantry was
1918, there were some 430,000 American American munitions factories were not to expend itself upon heroic
Expeditionary Forces (AEF) troops in complemented by the efficient work physical effort, not to wither away
France, but by the end of the month of logistics units. under merciless machine-gun
there were more than 650,000. By fire, nor to impale itself on hostile
36 37THE BATTLE OF AMIENS: 8–11 AUGUST 1918
On 8 August 1918 at 4.20am, just before tanks and ground-strafing aircraft,
first light, almost 100,000 Canadian, they achieved their final objectives
Australian and British infantrymen, by early afternoon, and the fighting
with the support of hundreds of tanks, was largely over by 2pm. The only
advanced on a front of over 22 kms, setbacks occurred on the extreme flanks
behind a devastating artillery barrage. of the attack, especially north of the
Shrouded by dense mist, the assault was Somme River, where British III Corps
a complete surprise to the German encountered stiff German resistance.
American soldiers army. In combination with a French The day was a stunning Allied success
line up for attack in the south, the advances of and a triumph of all-arms co-operation.
decoration by
King George,
Fourth Army saw the leading shock-troops German casualties were estimated at
6 August 1918, in of both the elite Canadian Corps on the 27,000 killed, wounded or captured.
Molliens-au-Bois, right, and Australian Corps in the centre, The German Army and its leaders had
France. Photo: US
Signal Corps, US reach their first objectives by around been dealt an overwhelming physical
National Archives 7.30am. Supported by wire-crushing and psychological blow.
Men of the 95th PREPARATIONS The Allied attack front ran roughly
Siege Battery
RGA loading a
Surprise and secrecy had been critical. from the River Ancre in the north
9.2 inch howitzer The preliminary planning meetings were to near Moreuil in the south: some
near Bayencourt held at several different locations; 32 km overall. The British Fourth Army’s
during the Battle of
Amiens, 8 August reconnaissance had been low-key; 22 km sector ran from just east of Ville-
1918 ©Imperial instructions were issued at the last sur-Ancre to the Amiens-Roye road, while
War Museum practical moment; all movements were General Debeney’s French First Army
(Q 10377)
at night, under cover of aerial patrols; operated south of the road on a front
artillery fire was carefully regulated as of around 11 km. The final objective for
more guns were installed, so that there Fourth Army’s advance was set as the old
was no obvious increase in firepower. ‘Amiens Outer Defence Line’ – between
There was a disciplined campaign to avoid 9 and 13 km distant. As this distance
careless talk, and an elaborate scheme to represented a physically exhausting
hide the presence of additional Australian undertaking for the attacking infantry,
units and the Canadian Corps, since their it was decided to break the advance
reputation as assault troops would warn into three separate ‘steps’ or ‘bounds’ –
the Germans of an imminent offensive. with pauses for rest and consolidation
They took up their positions at Amiens between, which would also allow for
only two hours before the main attack. the reserve forces to catch up and move
38 39the positions overlooking the Somme. of machines, the thick mist prevented
But facing difficult ground, with limited serious Allied air activity until around
tank support, III Corps met determined 9am when the fog began to clear.
German resistance. While Morlancourt Thereafter, the skies above the infantry
was taken by 12th Division, units to saw bombing and strafing of German
the south made only limited progress, machine-gun posts and artillery, trucks
particularly at the strongly-defended and cars, and horse-drawn transport.
German positions on the Chipilly Spur, In the afternoon, RAF command focused
and by the end of the day the Corps had their attacks on the Somme bridges in
advanced only around three km. an attempt to disrupt German movements.
During these bombing operations the
Attacking to the south of Fourth Army, RAF suffered heavy losses as increasing
twelve divisions of the French First numbers of German fighters joined
Soldiers getting through the first wave of attacking units The 3rd Canadian Division on the Army provided protection for the main the fray.
60-pounder on to the next objective. extreme right had to cross the difficult assault carried out by the Canadians
heavy field guns
into action less marshland in the valley of the River Luce and Australians, in what became known Tanks and armoured cars also played a
than a kilometre Fourth Army’s attacking troops were and faced fierce German resistance in in France as the 3rd Battle of Picardy. vital part. Their presence in the initial
away from enemy supported by over 2,000 artillery pieces. Railway Wood. On the left, 2nd Canadian Without the assistance of tanks, and assault was an invaluable boost to morale
lines during the
Battle of Amiens One Australian infantryman who took Division worked well with the Australians attacking over difficult ground, French among the infantry. Over 340 Mark V
in August 1918. part on the morning of 8 August on their immediate left and cleared the soldiers advanced towards Roye, gaining tanks were present at first, with more
Photo: Library and
Archives Canada
described the terrifying effectiveness village of Marcelcave, with the assistance around eight kilometres by the end of in support, and dealt with pockets of
PA-040172 of the protective barrage: of tanks, in under an hour. Vicious fighting the day. Some units pushed as far as resistance, machine-gun nests and barbed-
took place in Morgemont and Hangard Faverolles, east of Montdidier, and by wire entanglements. But the tanks’ slow
“At zero hour the bombardment fell Woods, but the Corps attained its final 10 August they reached the lines once progress, mechanical unreliability, and
in one mighty blast. The rush of shells objectives by early afternoon: an advance held back in 1914. their high profiles, rendered them highly
through the air sounded like express of around 13 km. vulnerable to shell fire and resolute
trains passing. The mist was stabbed COMBINED ARMS German field gunners wreaked havoc
with flashes. The earth appeared The frontage of the Australian Corps Allied air power played an important role with the advancing tanks once the mist
to tremble with the concussion… extended from the Amiens-Chaulnes before and during the attack on 8 August. started to clear.
Company after company, platoon railway to the River Somme: about Though outnumbering Germans in terms
after platoon, moved forward into 6.5 km. Attacking over more favourable
the bank of mist. Up in front the ground than the Canadians, and supported
barrage sounded like the strokes on by four battalions of the V Tank Brigade,
a mighty drum. We knew that at the the Australians made tremendous
first descent of this curtain of shells progress and profited from excellent
the men of the 2nd and 3rd covering artillery fire. The only significant
Australian Divisions, the Tommies setback occurred on the extreme left
Handley-Page 0400
on our left, and the Canadians on of the Australian advance, where the heavy bomber
our right would, in their battle Australian 4th Division was severely being towed by
a tractor. Two of
formations, advance behind that hampered by German defensive fire from these aircraft took
moving wall of death, to assault the positions on the dominating Chipilly Spur. off during the
front line of the German trenches...” Nevertheless, Australian forces reached night before the
battle and flew
their final objective at about 12.30pm. dangerously low
ADVANCES back and forth in
Three divisions of the Canadian Corps North of the Somme, the British III Corps the dark over the
frontlines to drown
on the right, next to the French First had suffered a strong and disruptive out the engine
Army, had been given a frontage of about German raid on 6 August, just before the noise of the tanks
assembling for the
6.5 km between the Amiens-Roye road Allied assault. The British were to support attack. Photograph:
and the Amiens-Chaulnes railway. the left flank of the Australians, securing RAF Museum
40 41You can also read
